Foreign Affairs Committee

The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee scrutinises the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and broader UK foreign policy. The Committee takes oral evidence from government ministers, civil servants and external witnesses across a range of international issues. It operates as a departmental select committee with power to require witnesses and documents. Recent inquiries have examined the Foreign Secretary's appointment processes and security vetting procedures, including questioning FCDO and Cabinet Office officials on the Mandelson appointment and vetting protocols in April 2026. The Committee has also investigated UK-EU relations on Gibraltar, hearing from Gibraltar's Chief Minister on the proposed fluid border treaty, and conducted inquiries into disinformation and its role in UK foreign policy, hearing from the Kyiv Mayor on Ukraine in February 2026 and examining platform actions against disinformation campaigns. A separate inquiry into Venezuela explored the international law dimensions of US intervention in the region.